Tuesday, March 25, 2014

One Thing For Sure

Home.

Land of unending dirty socks, a dog that pees when joyful, and a five high beanbag stack.

I know it's not everyone's idea of heaven, but it sure is mine.

And yes, I know I am insane :-)

It feels so good to be back home after two weeks, but it is also hard to be so far away and be unable to get information when you need it. I received a call this afternoon from the skilled nursing facility that Mom is not feeling well and has developed a fever and a cough bad enough to cause them to want to do XRays. I spent all afternoon waiting to hear back from them, only to get a call at 8:00 pm that it was clear and there is no pneumonia as suspected. I tried several times to call her room, but there was no answer.

Long distance oversight of care is not easy.

Dominick is leaving tomorrow for California, a trip he had planned long before Mom's fall, so it is good to know he will be there advocating for her care in person, and that we will get firsthand information. However, it means we have barely reconnected before parting ways again. It is sort of like tag team.

When I arrived home Saturday, I was whisked away to a fundraiser I was supposed to plan for the kids for camp. Needless to say, I did nothing to prepare for it and had even forgotten about it until a few days prior, as my mind was on more pressing things. Arriving in a bit of a zombie-like state, I was overwhelmed by all that had been done to support the kids, and a large sum was raised to help defray the costs of their summer camp.

Our little church cares in a Big Way, and there was so much help offered while I was gone which made life much easier for Dominick. Surrogate Taxi Drivers, Substitute Teachers, and Special Meal Providers rallied around our family so that I could focus on mom and not worry every moment about what was not happening at home, or how difficult a time Dominick was having. There were also sweet emails of support sent to me throughout my time in California, all of which was so humbling and reminded me of the blessings of living in community with others. The little things add up to big things when one is already stressed, and the care we received was a true gift. Sometimes I wonder if our family would ever make it without our church family, and I recognize the truth that our kids may bear our last name, but they are honestly everyone's kids.

I am gradually getting back to normal, though fighting a cold I came down with while traveling home. There are a lot of emotions that accompany the kind of life or death event we experienced, and I have a lot of contemplation ahead of me as I sort some things out.

I also need a lot of sleep, which is not coming all that easily at the moment.

And at odd little moments, I find myself wondering what is going on with the Outdoor Patio Club. Funny how you can enter a world and assimilate in just a few days, despite it being somewhat foreign.

We are OK, Mom is gradually healing, and the future is unknown for any of us. One thing I know for sure though...God is with us, always. That is enough.